It has been a whole year since I was motivated to start the 30 Day Real Black History Challenge. What started as a deep seated frustration with some comments on facebook turned into a spiritual quest leading to one of the most memorable processes of my life. In the (now) 38 years of my life, this is the one moment that I feel I was able to explore my cultural identity from a structured perspective, with a goal in mind. And don’t get me wrong, after the first 36 hours of what started on my F … [Read more...]

Why did the news of a racist guy surprise anyone in America, and why did it suck up so much attention? Well, I imagine that most of us are sick and tired of hearing about Donald Sterling, and the adventures of a racist basketball team owner and his ethnic girlfriend. The initial shock of the situation has long since worn off and many of us have been far past the moment of wanting to move on. But it seems like there are lessons in the ridiculousness of some old White dude who happens to be racist … [Read more...]

My favorite moments, as a writer for Patheos and with readers, are every single moment. I feel like I get the opportunity to explore one of the most challenging, often misunderstood, and complex issues around the intersectionality of ethnic culture and alternative spirituality. Being a Black woman has its own distinct culturally significant challenges, and moments of beauty and resiliency. The addition of Paganism to that path adds to the very interesting, multifaceted perspective and experience … [Read more...]

My path is a continuous evolution of unwinding spirals, leading to a place that is still unknown and yet very magical. My hair is often a metaphor for my life in that I am not sure how I will be by the end of the day, but it is certain that it will be different than I started. I have come to understand that my life is not getting less complicated, just like my hair doesn’t get any longer. The longer my hair grows, the tighter the curl becomes, and the shorter the strand appears in its natural s … [Read more...]

Beltane has always been one of my favorite times of year. The flowers, the sunlight, the colors, the celebrations, and the promise of summer in the height of spring. I can remember my first Beltane celebration, and I can remember the last… this day always leaves an imprint in my mind. I think that I associate this time of year with the promise of future growth, the kind of growth that is beautiful and full of laughter. While the dark half of the year brings about growth too, it is usually the k … [Read more...]

Today is Earth Day, and it is also my father’s birthday: the celebration of two very important things in my life, two things worth honoring and celebrating. The miracle of living is something I often think about. It is incredible to think of the mystery behind how we are, who we are, where we are, living here on the planet. There are a lot of theories of the how, the where, and the what, but in reality, I am just amazed to be here, on this green (and brown if you are in California) earth. Today … [Read more...]

PantheaCon is one of the best formats for having broader community conversations that are important to the culture of what is happening around us. I have seen big festivals like this contribute to the direction and tone of Pagan culture, and so it could be very important for us to seize these moments in positive ways. I was honored to be on one of those panel talks, the Pagans and Privilege panel from 2013 and 2014. I was not able to be present at the Racialist Pagans discussion in the Solar … [Read more...]

It has taken me some time and a few recent experiences to process some of the messages that I got from the Goddess on the full moon. I was standing in the middle of the circle, with the moon shining down on me when the Goddess spoke. She said, in her sometimes cryptic language, that I needed to “make every place sacred”. I thought I knew what this meant, and in some ways I did. I heard the whispers of the divine say that I should create a physical reminder of spiritual space in the places that I … [Read more...]

I am back from two incredibly important and special trips this year. In back to back conventions, I got to speak about things that are very important to me personally and spiritually; Cultural empathy, multicultural community needs and addressing privilege. The Conference on Current Pagan Studies invited me to be one of the two keynote speakers this year for their 10th anniversary. I accepted and they flew me to Claremont, California to engage in one of the most important conversations I have … [Read more...]

Growing up in my home, with a southern mama, meant that Martin Luther King Jr. was a name that I knew well. I can recall watching many images on the television that would show the Jim Crow south, marches, dogs, firehoses, and lynchings. I remember feeling the sadness and rage that would come along with those images, but being a young child meant I was without the ability to understand what it all meant. It just translated to me as hate, and hate never feels good. As I have gotten older, I’ve c … [Read more...]

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Mitochondrial Eve, living in East Africa, is the ancestor of all living humans. Humans have changed dramatically over the generations, but our need for spirituality has not. This blog features the voices of women of African ancestry who are Pagan, and who are not what you expect. Header is Tiye, mother-in-law of Nefertiti. Photo by Frank M. Rafik.